Mantle Bound

To learn about the mantle: Geologists find fragments of the mantle at the surface. They study meteorites that are like the mantle. Seismologists look at the behavior of the seismic waves that travel through the mantle. But what if we could drill into the mantle?

Why It Matters

Igneous rocks at the surface were produced by partial melting of the mantle. Learning about the mantle helps us understand those processes.

Learning about the mantle helps to understand Earth history and its rocks.

To get to the mantle scientists need to drill through the ocean crust. They will learn a lot about the ocean crust this way.

Previous attempts to drill to the mantle have not gotten close. One hole is currently at a depth of about 1500 meters, with around 3500 meters to go.

License: CC BY-NC 3.0

Model of the Chiky?, a Japanese scientific drilling boat built for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Has drilled down into Earth's crust and mantle at a depth of 7,740 meters below sea level (2012)
[Figure2]

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With the link below, learn more about drilling to the mantle. Then answer the following questions.